Baku itinerary
7 days, hour by hour · AzerbaijanJune–September
- Days
- 7
- Stops
- 34
- Per day
- ≈ 90 AZN
- First stop
- 09:00
Short answer
The TripWalkers Baku itinerary runs 7 days and lays out 34 stops, hour by hour, for June–September. The first three days:
- Day 1 Old City and the Boulevard
- Day 2 Heydar Aliyev and the Carpet Museum
- Day 3 Gobustan and mud volcanoes
Staying less? Start with the first days — TripWalkers uses the opening days of this plan for shorter trips too. Days 3, 4 and 5 are day trips out of the city. Food, entry fees and local transport come to about 90 AZN a day (excluding accommodation and flights).
Day 1 · 09:30–17:30
Old City and the Boulevard
Landmark
Icherisheher Eski Şehir
A walled 12th-century city and UNESCO site: narrow lanes, the setting of the film Brilliant Hand, carpet shops.
FreeLandmark
Maiden Tower
A mysterious 8-storey tower (Zoroastrian?); from the top you see the Caspian and the Flame Towers.
≈ 15 AZN per personCulture
Palace of the Shirvanshahs
The 15th-century Shirvanshahs' palace: mausoleum, divan hall, bathhouse.
≈ 15 AZN per personFood
Firuze Restaurant Old City
Azerbaijani cuisine: kutab (thin stuffed flatbread), piti, saj.
≈ 25 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Baku Boulevard
A 3.7 km promenade (1909) on the Caspian shore: Ferris wheel, gondola rides in Little Venice. After 20:00 take the funicular up to Highland Park and watch the Flame Towers light show.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Sehirli TendirTandir bread and kutab; an Old City street.
- Museum of Miniature BooksGuinness record-holding miniature books; free, an alternative to the palace.
Day 2 · 10:00–19:30
Heydar Aliyev and the Carpet Museum
Landmark
Heydar Aliyev Center
Zaha Hadid's undulating white masterpiece; classic car exhibition, photographing the exterior is free.
≈ 15 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Azerbaijan Carpet Museum
A building shaped like a rolled carpet; on the Boulevard, with a weaving demonstration.
≈ 10 AZN per personFood
Nargiz Restaurant Bulvar
Azerbaijani cuisine with Caspian views; dolma and kebab.
≈ 20 AZN per personShopping
Nizami Street Torgovaya
A pedestrian shopping street lined with 19th-century oil baron mansions.
Free- 2 h · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Crystal Hall and Flag Square Walk
The Eurovision 2012 arena; sunset at the end of the Boulevard.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Museum of Modern Art BakuAzerbaijani modern art; an alternative to the carpet museum.
- Paul's Bakery Fountains SquareCoffee and pastries on the square.
Day 3 · 09:30–18:30Day trip
Gobustan and mud volcanoes
Culture
Gobustan Rock Art
60 km south (tour about 40 AZN, or a taxi); more than 6,000 rock carvings up to 10,000 years old, UNESCO site, museum.
≈ 10 AZN per personNature
Gobustan Mud Volcanoes
Azerbaijan has half of the world's mud volcanoes: bubbling cold mud cones, reached by old Lada.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Bibi-Heybat Mosque
On the Caspian shore, a mosque destroyed by the Soviets and later rebuilt; set among oil pumps.
FreeFood
Qobustan Yolu Balık Lokantası
Caspian fish (kutum) and levengi (stuffed fish or chicken); on the way.
≈ 20 AZN per person- 2 h 15 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Yanar Dag
A gas-fuelled hillside that has burned continuously for 60 years, rooted in Zoroastrian tradition; striking in the dark, 25 km north.
≈ 5 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Ateshgah Fire TempleThe Surakhani Zoroastrian-Hindu fire temple; in the same direction as Yanar Dag, as a substitute or an addition.
- Qala Köy RestoranıTandir and saj dishes next to the ethnographic village; instead of a roadside restaurant.
Day 4 · 09:30–17:30Day trip
Absheron: Ateshgah and Qala
Culture
Ateshgah of Baku
The Surakhani fire temple (17th-century Hindu-Zoroastrian): natural gas flame, pilgrims' cells.
≈ 5 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Qala Archaeological Ethnographic Complex
An open-air museum village on the Absheron peninsula: fortress, tandir, camels.
≈ 5 AZN per personLandmark
Mardakan Castle and Town
A 14th-century castle and arboretum; Yesenin's house.
FreeFood
Mardakan Balık Tavernası
Grilled fish in a seaside town.
≈ 20 AZN per personNature
Bilgah Beach Hazar
Swimming in the Caspian (low salinity); Bilgah beach, in summer.
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Amburan Beach ClubA beach club with sunloungers; Bilgah.
- Gala Köyü ÇayhanesiTea in pear-shaped glasses with jam; in the village.
Day 5 · 10:30–16:00Day trip
Sheki (long day) or Gabala
Culture
Sheki Khan's Palace
4 hours from Baku (early tour or car; ideally stay overnight); a 1762 palace with shebeke stained glass, UNESCO site, built without nails.
≈ 5 AZN per personLandmark
Sheki Caravanserai
An 18th-century caravanserai hotel; courtyard and vaulted halls.
FreeFood
Şeki Piti Öğle Gagarin
Sheki's piti soup served in a clay pot (ritual: eat the broth with bread first, then mash the meat); Sheki halva.
≈ 12 AZN per person- 30 min · travel, break, free time
Culture
Kish Albanian Church
A Caucasian Albanian church (legend dates it to the 1st century); Thor Heyerdahl's theory; village setting.
≈ 2 AZN per personShopping
Sheki Halva Workshop
Sheki halva as a souvenir; on the way back (Baku 20:00).
Free
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Gabala Tufandag Cable CarA Caucasus mountain cable car and Lake Nohur; closer than Sheki (3 hours), as an alternative.
- Lahic Village Tea HouseTea and kebab in a cobbled coppersmith village; an alternative on the road to Sheki.
Day 6 · 09:00–21:00
Yasamal and modern Baku
Food
Taza Bazaar
A local market: pomegranates, saffron, sumac, cheese tasting, dried fruit.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Funicular and Martyrs' Lane by Day
Martyrs' Lane and the Eternal Flame by day; the Turkish Martyrs' Mosque.
FreeFood
Sumakh Restaurant
A stylish Azerbaijani restaurant: saj and kutab, in Khagani Street.
≈ 30 AZN per person- 1 h 30 min · travel, break, free time
Nature
Baku Sea Boat Tour
A 1-hour Caspian boat tour from the Boulevard; the skyline.
≈ 10 AZN per person- 2 h · travel, break, free time
Food
Nizami Cinema and Passage Cafes in the Evening
Seaside Park and Torgovaya tea houses; shisha.
≈ 15 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Stone Chronicle MuseumA museum of stone inscriptions; on the Boulevard.
- Çay Bağı 145 Eski ŞehirTea and jam in the Old City; the Azerbaijani tea tradition.
Day 7 · 09:00–13:00
Boulevard morning and a gentle farewell
Nature
Boulevard Morning Walk Little Venice
Gondola canals and morning calm.
FreeLandmark
Mugham Center
A building shaped like a tar (a long-necked lute); on the Boulevard, seen from outside.
FreeFood
Qaynana Restaurant Breakfast
Azerbaijani breakfast: clotted cream, honey, tandir bread, kuymak (cornmeal and cheese); next to Fountains Square.
≈ 15 AZN per person- 45 min · travel, break, free time
Landmark
Baku Airport Bus H1
From 28 May the H1 bus, 40 minutes (BakiKart); farewell.
≈ 2 AZN per person
Plan B — if it's crowded or closed (2)
- Ali and Nino Bookshop CafeBreakfast in a bookshop cafe; the city of the novel.
- Government HouseA huge Stalin-era building on Azadliq Square; seen from outside.
Good to know: 6 things that make a Baku trip easier
- BakiKart (metro/bus 0.50 AZN); Bolt taxis are cheap. The H1 bus runs to the airport. For Gobustan and Sheki, take a tour or hire a car.
- Summer brings 30-35°C and the Baku wind (Khazri); Caspian beach at Bilgah, the Boulevard in the evening; the F1 Grand Prix is held in June (the city centre closes).
- Turkish citizens get 30 days visa-free (with ID card since 2025); 1 manat ≈ 0.6 USD; kutab 2 AZN, piti 8, restaurant meals 20-30, museums 5-15; tip 10%.
- The Flame Towers light up after 21:00; Yanar Dag is best in the evening; Heydar Aliyev Center is closed on Mondays.
- Piti, kutab, plov (shah plov), dolma, levengi, Sheki halva, pomegranate juice, pear-shaped glass tea with jam.
- Turkish is understood (Azerbaijani Turkish); Russian is widespread. An oil city: pumps at Bibi-Heybat.
Spending: ≈ 630 AZN per person for 7 days
- Food300 AZN
- Entry and tours120 AZN
- Local transport150 AZN
- Other60 AZN
Excludes accommodation and flights. 2026 price estimate, per person.
We did the planning. You just pick the dates.
TripWalkers rebuilds this route around your number of days, budget and pace — on a map, day by day, in your pocket.
Download on the App StoreFor iPhone · English and Turkish · Free to download
Your next trip
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Baku?
This itinerary is built for 7 days. With 3 days, do the first 3 — TripWalkers uses the opening days of the plan for shorter trips too. The day trip is on day 3, 4 and 5; skip it on a short stay.
How much does a day in Baku cost?
In this plan, food, entry fees and local transport come to about 90 AZN per person per day. Accommodation and flights are not included. Figures are 2026 estimates.
What time should you start the day in Baku?
The first stop is at 09:00. Most days start early so you arrive before the crowds, and evenings end with dinner.
Which season is this itinerary for?
This page covers June–September. There is a separate plan for October–May: opening hours, the sea and the weather change the route.